While they’re still in the midst of figuring out what to do with malcontented soon-to-be free agent Jimmy Butler, the Minnesota Timberwolves at least made a bit of good news this weekend, locking up their long-term franchise guy for the foreseeable future. Karl-Anthony Towns, a man who has been indirectly called “not a star” by his teammate Butler and also “a fucking pussy” by same on at least one occasion, has signed a super-max $190 million extension with the Timberwolves. This is particularly notable because it goes against some previous reporting, which believed that KAT wouldn’t sign an extension until after he found out what the hell was going on with his team’s best player.
Unfortunately, there’s no shade or pettiness in Towns’s statement to add to the Butler drama, just an earnest comment saying, “I made a recommitment to the Wolves and have the same feelings of excitement that I felt back in 2015.” But if you’re the T-Wolves—you’re not but bear with me—this is a big sigh of relief. Towns has averaged a double-double in all three of his seasons in the league so far, plus he improved his long-range shooting last year. And somehow, he’s only 22. Despite the Timberwolves’ trade for Butler in 2017, he remained their cornerstone, and even though the Wolves now have a heck ton of money riding on Towns, Andrew Wiggins, and, uh, Gorgui Dieng, this is one move the team can feel good about.
Let’s check out what Butler had to say about it:
Oh, OK. That clears up everything.